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‘Be brutally honest with young kids about extremism’

In the face of increasing societal fear and political uncertainty, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox says that teachers should not shy away from the big questions

When the MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist, her husband, Brendan, was placed in the unenviable position of having to explain to his young children what had happened.

Then, when a suicide bomber attacked an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena last week, he found himself having to explain all over again to his children – now four and six – how acts of extremism can result in the deaths of innocent people.

“Talking to my own kids about it, I’ve told them what happened, and that people died,” he tells Tes. “But I wanted to couple that with a perspective that they are ...

The Great Get Together

To mark the anniversary of Jo Cox’s death, on 16 June, her husband, Brendan, has organised a nationwide celebration of togetherness.

The aim of The Great Get Together, which will last from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June, is to enact the words spoken by Jo Cox in her inaugural speech to parliament: “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”

Schools and community organisations are being encouraged to arrange local celebrations over the three days. So far, more than 109,000 get-togethers have been planned. The PSHE Association has helped to develop accompanying teaching resources for all age groups, from primary through to sixth-form.

“It feels like we’re living in quite a divisive time and a divisive moment,” says Brendan Cox.

“We’re told we all hate each other, on the basis of how we all voted in Brexit, or how we voted in the Scottish referendum, or how we vote in the election, or whether we’re Christian, Muslim or Jew, or none of the above. And I don’t think that’s true.

“For most people, the much more fundamental thing for them is not how they voted in Brexit, or who’s a Christian and who’s a Muslim, or whatever. It’s their family. It’s their community.”